Deadline nears on stalled riverfront buy

PORTLAND — With time running out, town officials are optimistic they will hear soon from the owners of an oil pipeline that has stalled efforts to buy a 5-acre riverfront property.

The 5.28-acre property located off Brownstone Avenue is the site of the former Connecticut Tar & Asphalt Co. The town hopes to clean up the property and develop some or all of it, or perhaps, sell a portion to a developer.

However, that plan has been stalled, at least temporarily, after concerns were raised about the status of an oil pipeline that crosses under Brownstone Avenue and runs through a portion of the Tar & Asphalt property. Town officials have asked owners of the property to inspect the pipeline and determine if it contains a significant amount of oil — and whether any of it has leaked out.

Officials have said the pipe was capped after the company closed almost a decade ago. It is not uncommon for companies to leave some residual oil in a pipeline to fight corrosion, however, Selectman James K. Tripp told his board colleagues.

In late January, the town signed an agreement in principle with the heirs of Tar and Asphalt owner John Balletti to acquire the property for $410,000. The agreement, signed Jan. 26, expires Thursday – 90 days after it was signed.

After it went into effect, the contract was referred to the Murtha Cullina legal firm, which represents the town. In the course of its due diligence review, questions were raised by an attorney about the status of the pipeline.

Officials met with the lawyers for the heirs two weeks ago, First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield told the selectmen during their meeting Wednesday. “We need a clean pipe,” she said.

But as of Wednesday, the heirs had not gotten back to the town. And, Bransfield pointed out, the sales agreement will expire on the 26th. She asked selectmen if they wanted to seek an extension. “I expect to hear from them,” she said of the owners. But at least for now, “The ball is in their court.”

That was Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, Bransfield said, “I expect a response within a couple of days.”

So confident is she of getting a response, Bransfield said Friday morning that she has scheduled a special meeting for selectmen at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the first-floor conference room in Town Hall. She will propose a short-term extension of the sale agreement “so we

can have time to review their proposal.

“There needs to be a careful analysis of this oil pipeline and how (the owners) will get this properly addressed,” she said Thursday.

If that issue can be resolved and residents approve the purchase, the town will use a $700,000 state grant to remediate the property. Among the ideas floated for the site are added parking for the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, or a riverfront restaurant or museum detailing brownstone quarrying.

Almost from the beginning of the land discussions, Bransfield has said her primary goal is to “get this property back on the tax rolls.”